On July 19, 2022 in Paarl, Western Cape, the Indonesian Consul General in Cape Town accompanied by the Consul for Economics met with the Director of Red Wolf Global, Martin Scholtz, in order to discuss potential cooperation in terms of importing Indonesian FMCG products to the South African market.

Red Wolf Global is a shipping and distributor company with a working area in the Western Cape province. From a number of shipping operations, Red Wolf Global has an extensive network, mainly with retailers major South African Checkers, OK Store and SPAR.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town took advantage of the opportunity of the meeting by bringing FMCG products from several leading manufacturers in Indonesia to be discussed further regarding potential sales in the South African market.        

Red Wolf Global appreciated the samples brought by the Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town and said that these products had potential, but again the issue that became a challenge was pricing.

In this case, the Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town conveyed that in various meetings with representatives from distributors or retailers, it was always conveyed that the higher prices of Indonesian products compared to similar products were also supported by better quality. 

Another challenge faced is that Indonesian products available in the South African market are generally available at cash and carry located in Township, thus giving the impression that the quality of Indonesian products is less competitive when compared to products from other countries. Given this, the availability of Indonesian products at retailers is expected to change the perception of local consumers.  

Red Wolf Global expressed its commitment to be able to help market Indonesian products in the South African market, and scheduled a meeting between the Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town and representatives from Checkers on Friday, 22 July 2022. The meeting will further discuss the product samples that have been provided by the Consulate General in Cape Town and presumably there are other products that have sales potential.